Abstract: A molded sliding bar buckle of the type comprising a strap retainer bar slidably mounted on an open rectangular connector frame having a grip base and a connecting bar on opposite sides of the strap retainer bar. The strap retainer bar includes a central strap engagement portion for retaining therearound one end portion of a strap and having on its back a sloped flat or substantially flat surface facing away from the grip base. The sloped surface has an upper end disposed adjacent to the connecting portion and a lower end disposed adjacent to the grip base, the upper end lying in a plane extending through a center of the thickness of the strap engagement portion. With this construction, when the strap is longitudinally tensioned with its one end portion looped around the strap engagement portion, a tensioning force is transformed substantially into a force or a vector acting in said plane in a direction to tend to move the strap retainer bar linearly toward the grip base.

Abstract: A button for attachment to a garment fabric comprises a capped button body and a tack member adapted to be joined with the button body, wherein a shank of said tack member includes a free end portion being deformable into a radially uniformly and axially compressed configuration, a radially cold-pressed recessed portion disposed adjacent to said end portion, and a deformation-free stem portion.

Abstract: An apparatus for attaching a fastener such as a snap closure composed of a first fastener member and a second fastener member to be combined together through a web-like material such as a fabric therebetween, includes a lower pocket mechanism for supporting the second fastener member thereon, a punch mechanism movable toward the lower pocket mechanism for fixing the first fastener member to the second fastener member with the web-like material interposed therebetween, and an upper pocket mechanism for supporting the first fastener member, the upper pocket mechanism being movable toward the lower pocket mechanism and having means for centering the first fastener member in alignment with the second fastener member. A safety mechanism is operatively coupled with the upper pocket mechanism for actuating the punch mechanism only when the upper pocket mechanism reaches a predetermined position with respect to the lower pocket mechanism.

Abstract: An apparatus for attaching a pair of fastener elements of a garment fastener to a garment fabric, comprises an optical indicator for designating a position of the garment fabric where the two fastener elements are to be attached. The indicator includes a light projector having a light source for projecting a beam of light, a reflector for reflecting the light beam downwardly, and means defining an aperture for the passage therethrough of the reflected light beam. An actuator is operatively connected to the light projector for reciprocating the same toward and away from a position where the aperture is in registry with a common vertical axis of the two fastener elements. The indicator is structurally and functionally separated from a pusher mechanism for supplying one fastener element to an upper unit of the apparatus.

Abstract: A swivel snap hook molded of synthetic resin comprising only two pieces, i.e. an eye member and a hook member, which are connected to each other for pivotal movements. One of the eye and hook members has an integral bearing portion divided into a pair of opposed bearing halves by a space, the two bearing halves having a pair of aligned through-holes communicating with the space. The other member has an integral arm portion extending into the space and terminating in an enlarged end which is loosely received in the through-holes in the bearing halves across the space for rocking movements. In production, the eye and hook members are molded simultaneously molded in only one step of molding operation in coupled state.

Abstract: An apparatus, for assembling a pair of fastener elements of a garment fastener, includes a safe-confirmation member mounted on a lower end of a vertically movable supporting rod supported by a frame in parallel relation to a punch-carrying plunger, and a drive means for moving the supporting rod vertically between an uppermost position in which the safe-confirmation member is disposed around a punch, and a lowermost position in which the safe-confirmation member is disposed around the die in the absence of the operator's finger or a tool near the die. Upon arrival of the safe-confirmation member at the lowermost position, a detecting means produces a command signal to start lowering of the punch toward the die.

Abstract: A button orientation apparatus comprising a setting die for receiving a button for attachment to a garment fabric, a clamping means for clamping the button on the die, a cam means for angularly moving the clamping means about its axis, and a control means operatively associated with and controlling rotation of the cam means so that the clamping means is oriented to position the button in the proper orientation with respect to the garment, the control means including a stopper pin engageable selectively with one of a plurality cam plates in the cam means.

Abstract: An apparatus for attaching a pair of fastener elements onto a garment fabric comprising a cooperating pair of an upper die unit and a lower die unit, a stationary anvil mounted in the lower unit, a plunger reciprocably mounted in the upper unit, a punch movable relative to the plunger along a path of movement toward and away from the lower unit, and a pair of clamping jaws operatively associated with the upper die unit for releasably clamping one of the fastener elements. A means is provided for holding one fastener element in proper position against displacement for aligned engagement with the other mating element. The apparatus further includes means for manually releasing the fastener element which has been trapped in the event of failure of the apparatus.

Abstract: An apparatus for attaching a pair of fastener elements onto a garment includes a gripping mechanism for temporarily holding one fastener element and for releasing the latter immediately before a reciprocally punch arrives at the predetermined lowermost position in which the one fastener element is clinched to the other fastener element supported on a die with the garment sandwiched between the fastener elements. The apparatus may comprises a guide mechanism including a chute having a guide track for the passage of the one fastener element, and a speed reducing device disposed in the chute for slowing down the movement of the one fastener element prior to the arrival of the latter at a retaining portion of the gripping mechanism. An overturning device may be provided in the chute for turning over the one fastener element as the latter slides along the guide track.

Abstract: A buckle comprises a male member including a pair of resiliently flexible legs each having an abutment surface, and a female member having a socket portion releasably couplable with said legs and including a pair of spaced sidewalls defining therebetween a slot for receiving therein said legs, each of the sidewalls having a retaining surface engageable with the abutment surface to interlock the male and female members. The socket portion further has a pair of cantilevered arms disposed inwardly of the sidewalls and resiliently flexible toward and away from the sidewalls. An actuating lug is disposed on a distal end of each arm which is located outside of the slot, the lug being engageable with one of the legs. The arms are resiliently flexible toward each other to cause the actuating lugs to urge the legs to flex resiliently toward each other for bringing the abutment surface and the retaining surface out of engagement with one another.

Abstract: A tack member, which is adapted to be joined with a button body for attachment of a button to a garment fabric, has a shank composed of a tapering end portion and a stem portion. The shank has a cold-pressed recess near the tapering end portion. The tapering end portion is in the shape of a pyramid with its tip end disposed off the axis of the shank toward the recess so that the tapering end portion is bendable about the recess as its tip end is forced against the inner side of a cap of the button body during insertion of the shank into a hollow hub of the button body, during which time the stem portion opposes bending or other deformation.

Abstract: A button includes a button body having a funnel-shaped button back and a cap mounted on a wide end of the button back, and a tack member adapted to be joined with the small end of the button back for attachment of the button to a garment fabric, the button as attached to the garment fabric defining a hollow interior. The button body includes at least one channel extending between an inclined outer peripheral portion of the button back and an annular rim of the cap secured to the inclined outer peripheral portion. A liquid which has entered in the button's hollow interior can be drained through the channel from the hollow interior.

Abstract: A strap fastener or buckle for connecting ends of a strap, belt or the like is adapted to enable adjustment of the effective length of the strap. The strap fastener is formed from a plastic material into an integrally molded structure having a grip head portion at one end and a connecting portion at the opposite end, these portions being connected by a pair of side flanges. A pair of spaced parallel cross bars extend between and are connected to the side flanges. The grip head portion has a sharply cornered bottom edge which serves as a stop for the strap. The cross bar which is disposed adjacent to the grip head portion has a plurality of sharp corners defining stops for the strap, one of the corners being disposed adjacent to the grip head portion and being spaced in plan view from the bottom edges by a distance larger than the thickness of the strap. The strap fastener is thus provided with multi-point stops along the path of the strap so that the strap can be retained firmly in place under heavy tension.

Abstract: A fastener assembling apparatus includes a shock absorber disposed between a frame of the apparatus and one lever of a toggle joint, the other lever of the toggle joint being connected to a punch assembly. The shock absorber is elastically deformable to absorb shock forces caused in the punch assembly by pressing of a pair of fastener elements between the punch assembly and a cooperating die assembly. The shock absorber may have means for adjusting the stroke of the punch assembly for accommodating changes in thicknesses of both the fastener elements and a garment to which the fastener elements are attached.

Abstract: A button for being attached to a garment fabric has a button body composed of a double-walled tubular stem with an annular flange extending radially outwardly therefrom, a cap having an internal back place mounted on the annular flange, and a tack member having a central shank for penetrating the garment fabric and for extending into the tubular stem to join the tack member to the button body with the garment fabric interposed therebetween. The annular flange includes a first marginal wall flaring radially outwardly and having a plurality of radially outward projections. The cap also has a second marginal wall fitted over the first marginal wall and including a plurality of protuberances deformed radially outwardly by the projections, respectively. The projections and the protuberances are held in interlocking engagement for preventing the button body and the cap from rotating relatively to each other.

Abstract: In a button orienting and placing apparatus, a pushing mechanism, for pushing a button out of a guide channel in a horizontal guide, includes a slide slidable in and along the guide channel, and a horizontal pushing plate pivotally mounted on the slide and having on its forward end a pushing surface engageable with a shank of the button so as to push the latter forwardly and against one of a pair of opposed side walls of the guide as the slide is moved forwardly along the guide channel. The pushing mechanism also includes a locking lever vertically pivotally mounted on the slide and having at its forward end a single downwardly directed claw projecting through an opening in the pushing plate for catching a tab of the button to thereby stop turning of the button.

Abstract: A snap fastener for use on garment pieces comprises a male member attached by a first rivet to one of the garment pieces and a female member attached by a second rivet to the other garment piece. The male member includes a first cylindrical wall having an annular rim snapped in an annular groove defined in a second cylindrical wall of the female member. The male member and the first rivet have reinforcing ribs biting in the garment piece sandwiched therebetween, and similarly the female member and the second rivet have reinforcing ribs held in biting engagement with the garment sandwiched therebetween. The male and female members, and the first and second rivets are prevented by these reinforcing ribs from rotating with respect to the garment pieces, an advantage which manifests itself especially where the first and second rivets have directional ornamental patterns on their heads.

Abstract: A button has a unitary interior member of thermoplastic synthetic resin. The interior member includes a disk-like portion non-rotatably held between a cap and a button back, a socket portion joined with a tack member with a garment fabric sandwiched therebetween, and a resilient connecting portion in the form of a pair of elongate planar webs extending between the disk-like portion and the socket portion and normally urging the disk-like portion to lie perpendicular to the socket portion. The connecting portion is bendable so that the disk-like portion and thus the button body can be manually tilted with respect to the axis of the socket portion and thus the garment fabric.

Abstract: A snap-fit buttom assembly comprises a female and a male member both molded and adapted to be coupled together with a snap-fit and a pair of tack members adapted to be joined with the female and male members for attachment thereof to a pair of fabric pieces separately. The female member, which is composed of a circular plate-like base and a cylindrical socket integral therewith, has along its periphery a plurality of openings each extending through the base and merging with the socket's bore receptive of a plug of the male member. The openings are angularly aligned, about the axis of the female member, with a plurality of inwardly directed locking projections of the socket. In production, the female member can be molded on a pair of mold halves; one mold half for shaping the base has a plurality of projections each having a contour corresponding to the shape of the individual opening.

Abstract: A fastening for use on a garment comprises a base, and at least two flat spikes initially projecting from the base for being pierced through the garment into apertures of a hasp, and then for being deflected into a clenched condition against the hasp, there being at least two cold-pressed grooves each opening into an outer surface of the fastening and extending longitudinally thereof across a shoulder or joint between the base and a respective one of the spikes. The fastening accordingly has a greater hardness in a region around the grooves than at other regions thereof so that the fastening is resistant to bending or other deformation around the grooves when the spikes are pierced and clenched.